Success Academy Charter School - Washington Heights

Success Academy Charter School - Washington Heights is an elementary school serving grades K-5 in Manhattan, known for its exceptionally strong academic performance. The school's ELA proficiency rate of 86% and math proficiency rate of 94% are well above the citywide median and near the highest percentile, indicating a highly effective learning environment. As part of the Success Academy network, it employs a structured and rigorous academic approach, combining traditional discipline with inquiry-based learning and a focus on continuous improvement. Parents often express high satisfaction with the academic growth and character development their children experience, appreciating the fast-paced curriculum and exposure to subjects like science and chess. However, some parents and former staff have raised concerns about the intense academic pressure and strict disciplinary environment. The school serves a diverse student body, including a significant percentage of students with economic need, and is committed to providing a high-quality education to its community. Community members have noted traffic congestion around the school during drop-off and pick-up times.

Overall positive % is averaged across every Pos/Neg survey question per respondent group (school year 2023-2024). Survey topics are the DOE’s framework measures (each the average favorable response across its questions; expand a topic to see them and the citywide average); the dimension scores themselves are no longer in the public data file.^[3]